New Brisbane

THE SUNBAR LOUNGE
Open Tuesday to Sunday 5pm - 2am

367 Brunswick Street Fortitude Valley
(Corner of Brunswick and McLachlan Street)
Brisbane Qld Australia
http://www.thesunbar.com

It’s been a while since I was at Sunbar, at one stage It used to be my home. Saturday after Saturday, I would find myself fighting the crowd for my little piece of space to stand tall and look over the healthy orange glow that melts into the bar. I remember the first time I went to Sunbar, it was an eye opener, beautiful décor, excellent bar staff and a good crowd. Back then The Sunbar was the place to be, this was before Uber had opened up and before GPO had pushed GPO Red Code, this was before The Sunbar started becoming a little bit boring and the crowds started going elsewhere. So what about now? Does the sunbar still have what it takes? I went back and had a look.

The restaurant has closed and turned into another section of the bar, the people have changed, So have the staff, a good deal of whom left to go to Uber Nightclub in West End. Even the door guy was replaced with a Metro Steve Erwin. None of that should really matter if The Venue is still alive and kicking! But even that has changed. Over the course of the last 2 weeks where I have found myself back in the Sunbar, it’s a little empty, you can actually move around. The new bar (in the place of the restaurant) is setup magnificently with gorgeous decorations and excellent seating. Yes, seating, you may now actually find a seat at The Sunbar!

The Sunbar is in the place of one of Rupert Murdoch’s first printing presses and was once home to the Daily Sun and the Sunday Sun in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. After Murdoch moved onto higher plains, the entire area was turned into apartments and sold of, but the street level never really found much use and was turned into the Sunbar a good few years back. Owned by a Greek Trio, The Sunbar prides itself for being the “Best Bar in QLD”. A rather big claim if you ask me. Nevertheless, The Sunbar is known for its fantastic cocktails and excellent service.

You might be thinking of the Sunbar as one hell of a poshy place, and yes, it used to be the case where if you didn’t look like you had money, they wouldn’t let you in. These days, given the crowds are a little on the down side, things have started to slowly change, I saw people in The Sunbar last night that would have never been allowed in there 6 months ago. I guess the dress standards have come down just a tad, thankfully though, it hasn’t effected the service.

If you are new to The Sunbar, it pays to get to know not only the door staff, but the bar tenders as well, they are all a good bunch of people, a few tips here and there will assure you good (and most importantly, fast) service in the future as well help you jump the queue (if there is any - and there used to be). It also pays to get to know the owners, at least one of them, they do lurk around the place all through out the night, mingling with the crowd and making sure things are going smoothly. The music at The Sunbar has never left me with a great impression, its not the sort of music I am used to, its much more Jazzy and chill out, which really works for the atmosphere.

I know its hard to believe, but The Sunbar isn’t that expensive, I have paid more for the same thing at the Regatta than at Sunbar. On a really busy night, it becomes a challenge to get to the bar, get your drink and get back to where ever you were standing (and yes, you will be standing unless your in the new bar area). The old Sunbar has always had the problem of the bar being in the middle and not against a corner, this might seem like a good idea at first, and hell, it might have been a good idea if the Bar didn’t take 60% of all the space. The only way to get around Sunbar is to walk around the bar, which most of the time is full of people bumping into each other.

One thing that I has always annoyed me, is that Sunbar closes at 2am, always, without exception, come 2am, they close up and everyone has to leave. This is of course due to the liquor license which only runs till 2am. I have always found this interesting, as to why their liquor license only goes till 2am? Is it significantly more expensive to get it till 3am? Even the Fringe Bar stays open later than 2am. Maybe someone can clear this up for me.

The Sunbar is in Fortitude Valley, so that will automatically tell you it’s not full of idiots from the city. Someone bumps into you, they turn around say Sorry, you say no worries, and its all good. No big deal with the crowd at Sunbar. The best way to get to Sunbar is to drive into the valley and park somewhere, you can of course catch the train if you want. Would I recommend it? Absolutely! Even with the crowds down The Sunbar is still one of the more prestigious and poshy venues in Brisbane. With excellent service and fantastic cocktails, The Sunabr is still the place to be. Sure you might think that its all about Image, and you might be onto something there, but remember, sometimes, image is all that matters